Work Still Matters

The Nature and Purpose of Wisdom

We’re speaking about wisdom. We’re starting a new series called “Wisdom That Builds.”

It occurs to me, Church—I don’t know if you’ve looked around the world—but there is lots and lots of intelligence. There are many clever people, lots of expertise, lots of great things in that regard. But it seems to me, in general—and this is just my opinion, it’s not a Bible verse—that there isn’t a lot of wisdom. Is that fair?

That raises the question: what is wisdom? What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

You may have heard this before: knowledge is the understanding that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom, however, is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

Wisdom has something about it that is, in many ways, unquantifiable. It carries a sense of timeless principles—principles by which to live—rooted in the truth of reality, in who we are and where we find ourselves.

Wisdom isn’t really instruction. It’s not just a list of do’s and don’ts, but it defines instruction. Wisdom isn’t simply knowledge, but it gives context to our knowledge. Wisdom isn’t just information, but it helps us to apply information.

And as we start this series, that’s our focus: wisdom that builds.

The Necessity of Wisdom in a Technological Age

There is a question that perhaps you need to ask yourself – and I’ve certainly asked it – and that is: is wisdom worth pursuing? Is wisdom worth pursuing?

Because who knows that in your life you’ve got enough going on. Would that be fair? Who in this room would say, “It’s quite full”? We’ve got the school run, we’ve got the weekly shop, we’ve got the job, we’ve got the petrol prices. It’s hard enough just to keep on top of everything. Of all the stuff we have to juggle, do we really need to add even more complication and pursue wisdom?

Why bother pursuing wisdom when, who knows, Google and ChatGPT can largely get us through most things?

I want to make the case for wisdom this morning: that our individual pursuit of wisdom will do two things for us.

First, it will help us to understand the world better. We live in this world – for better or for worse, that’s where we are – so learning how to operate in the world, growing in our understanding of it, is a good idea. It gives us a basis for where we find ourselves, so that we can identify falsehoods, recognise deception, and make good decisions when we’re faced with different situations and circumstances.

The second reason I think we should pursue wisdom is because it will genuinely help us to create a better society. Wisdom helps us build a better world.

I want to make a statement: our world is led by people who lack wisdom. I don’t think that’s overly controversial. I’m not talking politically as in “Which party do you support?” I want to separate political decisions from actual wisdom, if that’s all right. Our world is led by people who lack wisdom.

Let me just mention a few things. This Trump and Iran thing, for example. Now listen, regardless of your politics and your opinion on Trump or Iran, what can’t be denied is that the way the politicians have gone about it lacks wisdom. I’m not talking about whether you agree with invasions or not; I’m talking about how things have been handled. It lacks wisdom.

I read in the newspaper this week about a protest that was happening. It was a peaceful protest – you could see the pictures, you could see the videos – it was clearly peaceful. And the police decided to go to this peaceful protest in full riot gear. No riots, just a kind of street party, a peaceful protest, and the police arrive in riot gear. What does that do? It stokes tension. It creates division immediately. It lacks wisdom.

I read another thing in the newspaper this morning: did you know there are some scientists now who want to block out the sun? They’ve decided that’s a good idea. Now, whether or not they are intelligent enough to figure out how to block out the sun – that’s intelligence, that’s knowledge, that’s great, that’s fine – but it lacks wisdom. That’s just a dumb idea, regardless of whether or not they can actually do it.

So I think it’s fairly safe to say that in the world we live in there’s not a lot of wisdom going around. There’s lots of expertise, there’s lots of intelligence, there’s lots of all that, but not a lot of wisdom. And I believe we lack wisdom because our generation, or the generation we live in, doesn’t really value it.

But that’s okay, because who knows that we’re called to speak into the next generation. Our calling here is to lay a platform and a foundation for those who come after us to build on, showing the value and the virtue of wisdom – not only knowledge.

The Disciplined Pursuit of True Wisdom

And so the pursuit of wisdom, I believe, is important for us and for our society. Is that okay? Is that a good starting place to be? I think I’ve made the case for pursuing wisdom.

But here’s the thing: wisdom doesn’t fall out of the sky. It doesn’t happen by accident. Wisdom needs to be pursued in a disciplined way. And so the question is, how do we find wisdom? From where do we draw wisdom? How do we grow in wisdom?

There are so many places that claim to be a source of wisdom. Is the word “wisdom” starting to sound funny to you now? That happens when you say a word a lot of times, doesn’t it? It starts to sound weird. Wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. But that is what we’re talking about.

Many people and many sources claim to be an epicenter of wisdom. So we need to figure this out. We need to test those claims, don’t we? Are you with me, Church, this morning about wisdom?

Testing the Sources of Wisdom

When I approach any source that’s trying to tell me something, that’s trying to inspire wisdom in me, I need to test it. I’ve got four tests that I personally use. They’re just mine; if you disagree, you can develop your own.

The first is this: does this source of wisdom align with reality? Does it describe human nature accurately, or is it at odds with what we observe around us? Is it just untested, wishful thinking?

Number two: does it account for all of life? Parts of our lives are not siloed, are they? There are many different aspects to our lives—our finances, our family, our health, our work—but they don’t exist in isolation. They all interact. How we spend our free time impacts our finances. Our family impacts our health. Our work impacts our mental state. So if an idea only speaks into a very narrow area without any acknowledgment of how that area affects the rest of life, it isn’t useless, but it’s not a reliable framework for wisdom.

Number three: is it time-tested? Has it guided generations? Has it been tested across different cultures and traditions?

Number four—and this is important—does it produce good fruit? What kind of people are formed by this source of wisdom? Are they stable or chaotic? Humble or arrogant? Responsible or entitled? Strong or fragile?

Those are my four tests. They’re just personal to me, and like I say, if you disagree, you can develop your own. But these are the questions I use to discern whether a source of wisdom is credible and safe.

And it is safe to say—and this is why I get up and preach every week—that the Bible passes these tests. The Bible is my primary source of wisdom. Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone. This is the breathed-out Word of God. It is filled with insight, principles, and frameworks that we could describe as wisdom.

Within Scripture, there are three books in particular that are known as the “wisdom literature.” The first is Job. If you see it written down, it looks like “job,” and at first you might think, “Job? That’s a weird name for a job.” But Job is a book—a really, really heavy and at times depressing book—and it’s meant to be that way, because it addresses our understanding of suffering. That’s the purpose of Job. It speaks wisdom into our suffering. We all suffer to different degrees at different times. We live in a fallen creation; we are fallen people; we experience suffering. Job helps us navigate that.

The second is the book of Ecclesiastes. Its most famous line is probably, “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes is a reality check. It dismantles shallow, purely human-level thinking and understanding and says that without God, everything is meaningless.

The third book of wisdom literature is Proverbs—probably the one most people think of when they think of wisdom in the Bible. Proverbs is a collection of sayings that offer insight into how we and the world operate, together and with God.

Wisdom Rooted in the Fear of the Lord

Our series, “Wisdom That Builds,” is based in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 9, verse 10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That’s a pretty good statement to ground ourselves in: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

What do we mean by “fear”? It’s not a scared kind of timidity, like how you might be scared of something. I’m scared of spiders. I shouldn’t have said that, but it’s true. If there’s a spider, I just shout, “Sam! I can’t do it. I can’t do it.” But I fear the Lord, and not in the same way that I fear spiders.

The fear of the Lord is a love, an honor, a reverence toward Him—an acknowledgment that He is God and I am not. His ways are higher, His thoughts are higher, and my very existence is relative to Him as my Creator. That’s what the fear of the Lord is.

My understanding of Him becomes the way by which I understand the world, myself, other people, and God. This is the fear of the Lord.

So, are we all agreed that we’re pursuing wisdom? It’s so good. This is a good place to be—growing in our understanding of ourselves, of God, of the world we’re in, and of the people around us.

Wealth as the Fruit of Diligence

We’re going to open the book of Proverbs, and I’m going to read three verses for you. They’re all along a similar theme, and you’ll quickly realise what we’re actually talking about as it pertains to wisdom this morning.

Proverbs 10:4 says this: “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

So this proverb is making a distinction between poverty and wealth, and it’s drawing a correlation to laziness and diligence. Diligence being steady and persistent effort. It’s saying laziness produces poverty and diligence produces wealth.

This is a classic decision scenario, isn’t it? The proverb presents us with a choice: do you want wealth or poverty? Most people, I think, would choose wealth and say, “Okay, the Bible says if you want wealth, you need diligence.” Does that work? Does that make sense?

Now, it’s fairly self-explanatory on first reading, and we could just stop there because that is what the Scripture is saying. However, there are several layers to these Proverbs, and there’s so much “wealth,” if you like, to understand because they carry deeper implications.

If laziness leads to poverty and diligence leads to wealth, it actually tells us something about wealth. It tells us something about money itself. It tells us that, in its right use, wealth is a measure of diligent work or value. Because if diligence produces wealth, that means wealth is, in some sense, a measure of diligence. Does that follow, Church? Do you track with that?

So this proverb is describing our individual relationship with wealth. It helps us understand what wealth even is—its nature—when it’s not being misused. And we know wealth can be misused, which we’ll get onto.

Diligence and the Formation of Character

All right, so let’s just park that first proverb for now and move on to Proverbs 10:5.

Proverbs 10:5 says this: “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”

If the first proverb made you feel like, “Wow, that’s a bit harsh,” this one takes it even further, because it really hammers the point home. It’s still talking about working versus not working, but this time it’s not just describing outcomes like poverty versus wealth. Now it’s actually making a comment on character, not just on experiential outcomes. And that goes deeper, doesn’t it? An attack on character cuts deeper than just, “Well, here’s what’s going to happen if you do or don’t do this.”

The context here is the harvest. The Scripture says those who gather—who actually participate in the harvest—are prudent, and those who sleep through the harvest are disgraceful.

Now, can you raise your hand if, in the last five years, you have directly participated in a harvest? There aren’t many farmers among us. I mean a literal harvest—out in a field, with machinery or with your hands. Not many of us actually go out and harvest our own food these days, right?

So we don’t harvest our food ourselves anymore, but we need to extract the principle of what the Scripture is saying. Just because we don’t go out and bring in physical crops doesn’t mean the embedded principle in this proverb is irrelevant to us.

What the Scripture is saying here is: when there is something to do, when things need doing, get on with it. When there are things that need doing, those who help with the things are prudent; those who do not help with the things are disgraceful.

I’m just laying the Scripture out there, Church.

Wisdom in Work and Folly in Fantasy

All right, we're going to park that one for now as well.

Sophie, are you listening? We're going to move on to the third proverb in chapter 12, verse 11. It says this:

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”

Wow, some heavy scripture today, church. Are you feeling convicted? Maybe, maybe not.

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”

We’re on a similar theme here, aren’t we? There’s a familiar thread, but now there’s another dimension, because have you noticed that the scripture is now talking about those who work what? Their land. It’s now about what we do. This particular verse is about what we do with what is ours, with what we have been given.

It’s talking about stewardship. Because we’ve all been given things, haven’t we? We’ve all been given various things: we’ve got gifts, we’ve got talents, some of us have property, land, wealth, whatever it might be. We all have things.

And there is a distinction here between those who use what they have been given and those who do not use what they have been given. And the results are either experiencing abundance, or just being known as someone who “has no sense,” which doesn’t sound very nice, does it?

Designed for Fruitful Contribution

These three proverbs all carry a similar theme, as I’m sure you’ve picked up. It’s reasonably simple: if you work hard, you will benefit from the fruit of that work. Is that fair as a theme? Do we understand that from the Scripture, from the Proverbs?

And it’s not just in the Proverbs that this theme is outlined. It goes further. Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:10—this is quite a strong word—“If someone is not willing to work, they should not eat.” Now, just to clarify what that scripture is actually talking about: Paul is talking about the communion of believers, the gathering of believers around the table, and he’s essentially saying, “Everyone’s got to bring something. Everyone’s got to contribute.” That’s the heart of what Paul is addressing here.

So this is a theme that permeates throughout Scripture: if we work, then we will benefit from the fruit. But where is the wisdom in this? What is the wisdom actually telling us?

At first glance, it seems consequential. It seems to be speaking about consequences—that our actions have outcomes. And that is true. Our actions have outcomes, and the decisions that we make have outcomes, whether for good or for bad.

But there is a deeper wisdom here, because this principle doesn’t just describe an action-and-consequence pattern. It actually shows us how the world operates. We live in the world—do you live in the world? Good, so do I. So it’s good for us to understand how the world operates.

What this shows us is that our contribution has value and leads to blessing. That might sound like the same thing, but I want us to really grasp it: we were designed to contribute. And when we live in accordance with that design, we experience goodness.

Now, some will say, depending on your persuasion, “Well, that seems unfair. What if someone can’t work? Are they disqualified from blessing and abundance?” The answer is no, not necessarily, because the wisdom here is more about our attitude toward contribution than it is about what we can physically do. It’s about having an attitude of contribution, recognizing that our very design is to be contributors.

I find it funny—I don’t know if Sally knew the scripture we were preaching from today when she was talking about “Join the team,” but if she didn’t, then the Holy Spirit is at work. Because by design, we are contributors. We need to recognize that this is by God’s perfect design, not a consequence of corruption.

I’ve often heard it said—and you might have too—that our need to work and contribute is oppressive, that it’s the result of some big corporate machine that has us slaving away, and that in a perfect world we wouldn’t have to work. Has anyone heard that? It goes very quiet at that point, doesn’t it?

I want to tell you, Church, the Bible fully disagrees with that analysis of the world. Let me read to you from Genesis 2:15:

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

It’s very important for us to know that Genesis 2 happens before Genesis 3. Genesis 3 is the fall of humanity—that moment when we take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, disobey God, eat the fruit, and everything goes horribly wrong. We’re banished from the garden, and from that point on, things go fairly downhill until Jesus.

But it’s crucial to note that Genesis 2 reflects the original design. This is what God fully intended. And God fully intended, before the fall, that we would work and take care of what He had made, that we would have something meaningful to do. The Lord God gave us work to do. He gave us contributions to make.

It forms part of our teleology—remember that word from a few weeks ago? Our reason for being. Our purpose is to contribute.

Later on, after we disobey God, the Lord says in effect, “You’re already working—that was part of the design. Now I’m going to add thistles and weeds.” In other words, “It’s going to be harder.” So the consequence of the fall is not the work itself. Work was already there. The consequence of the fall is that the work is now frustrated and more difficult. But the work—the call to contribute—was always part of God’s good design.

Vocation and Toil After the Fall

Now, this principle might sound a bit strange at first—maybe even a little contradictory. But when you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Our reason for being, our purpose, is to contribute. The consequence of the fall is that the work is going to be harder. There will be sweat, frustration, resistance. But the work itself—the contribution—was always meant to be there. That part isn’t a result of the fall; it’s part of God’s good design.

It might seem to us, in this room, like that’s just common sense. Does it? Or is this new for you this morning?

You’re quiet now.

Common sense?

Thanks, Alex.

Created to Contribute for God’s Glory

Now it seems kind of like common sense, but I just want to highlight church, because when we gather together and open the Scripture, it's very important for us to understand that the Scripture is written to us so that we can understand our relationship with God. That’s the primary function of Scripture: to reveal His love to us, to speak to us about Him.

It’s not a self‑help book to help us do better in life: “Hey, if you follow these principles, you’re going to be okay.” That’s not the primary function of the Bible. However, it does have that effect, and it does help us. The way it helps us is by helping us see the difference between what the Scripture says and what we observe in the world.

Because this principle that we’ve talked about—that we are designed to contribute and that when we do contribute, we will receive blessing, that we will benefit from that—is actually contradictory to two popular viewpoints in the world.

Ready to talk about the world? I love talking about the world, because if we don’t apply what we’re reading in Scripture to what we observe around us, what are we doing? I like talking about the world, but I recognize it can get prickly. So I’m sorry if you get prickled; I’ll preach it anyway.

The first sort of observable principle in the world that what we’re extracting from Scripture today contradicts is this: that somebody owes you something. Somebody—no matter who, frankly—owes you something, and you shouldn’t have to contribute. Someone else, or perhaps the government or whatever, should pay for all your stuff, and someone should remove the burden of contribution off you.

Now, what that leads to gets political, and I’m not getting political because I’m not a political person. But what that leads to is demonstrably not good, although it can appear good on the surface. It removes the value of contribution and purpose from people’s lives, which is not good. That’s the first principle that Scripture contradicts.

The second principle that Scripture contradicts, which we also observe in the world, is actually the polar opposite of that. This shows you how confused the world is. It says: your identity and worth are defined by what you do. Your contribution defines who you are—your job, what you add to society, how many letters you have after your name, or whatever it might be. All of this, we’re told, defines who you are and defines your worth.

Now, the Scripture we’re reading and observing today disagrees with both of these worldly principles at a fundamental level.

Firstly, as we’ve discussed, contribution is part of our design. You could say work is part of our design. Doing something is part of our design. It’s not a burden that ought to be removed. It forms part of who we are. It leads to our individual flourishing, and it leads to a healthier society.

But secondly, because of that, our identity is not defined by our contribution. Instead, our identity is defined first as contributors—as people made in the image of God to contribute and to do something. Our value is derived from that identity, and our action is inspired by that identity. Does that make sense, Church? Does that make sense?

So when we read the Scripture, when we ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us through it so we can understand what it’s saying to us and understand the principles, it’s going to come up against the principles of the world. Did you know that? It’s going to come up against the principles of the world.

I want to encourage you this morning that when that happens—and it does all the time, on most readings—the biblical principles, as we read in the Scripture, define how the world actually is, as revealed by the One who created it and put us in it. The worldly principles try to sculpt the world into how it would like it to be, shaped by fallen and corrupt people who inhabit it. And so we have choices to make.

Secondly, it reframes our understanding of our contribution, and I think this is really helpful for us. It reframes our understanding of contribution. Work and contribution haven’t come to us through some sort of evil exploitation. They’re part of our design. They’re part of our teleology, our purpose. It is who we are. It’s who we are created to be.

So I want to encourage us, as we read, to recognize and pick up on when Scripture rubs up against and is… what’s the word… fractious, friction‑causing with what the world says. Because there are decisions to make.

Christ the Wisdom Who Makes Us New

Pursuing wisdom to understand ourselves, our world, our relationship with God, and all of this is a strong and noble pursuit. Would you agree, Church, that pursuing wisdom is a strong and noble pursuit? It’s also one that is without end, and it’s not always comfortable. It doesn’t just guide us, it exposes us. And this is where it gets uncomfortable, if you weren’t already uncomfortable.

Scripture, and the wisdom contained within Scripture, doesn’t just guide us; it exposes us. Because if I were to ask for a raise of hands—which I won’t do, but I’ll put my own hand up—there are times that all of us have been lazy, chasing fantasies, not properly stewarding what we have. I’ll put my hand up.

Wisdom in Scripture shows a gap. There is a gap between how we were designed to live and how we are actually living. And so our pursuit of wisdom ultimately leads us in one direction. Because the Bible doesn’t just guide us to principles to live by; it actually leads us to and points us toward a Person.

The Bible describes Jesus in 1 Corinthians 1:24, saying that Christ is the wisdom of God—Christ Himself is the wisdom of God. Jesus doesn’t just teach wisdom, though He certainly does; Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom. And so as we are pursuing wisdom, Church, we are pursuing Christ.

Now, these three proverbs talk about diligence, stewardship, and contribution. Jesus is perfect diligence. Jesus is perfect stewardship. Jesus is perfect contribution. And so when we are lacking in these areas—and we are, because we’re human—we know that it is Christ, in His perfection of diligence, His perfection of stewardship, and His perfection of contribution, who fills the gap and makes up for our insufficiencies.

When we drift, He stands firm. Amen, Church? Amen. When we avoid responsibility, He is the One who took on the responsibility of the cross. When we misuse what we have been given, He is the ultimate steward of the entire world. He is our makeup. He is the gap-filler. And this is our grace.

Proverbs say diligence leads to life and foolishness leads to loss. But at the cross, Jesus, who had lived diligently, received death. And we, who have lived foolishly, are offered life. That’s the great reversal; that’s where wisdom lands—not only in perfect wisdom, but in grace.

I want to invite us to stand, if we’re able, because we’re going to pray. I’ll invite the band up, because we’re going to pray and take some time to reflect and respond.

Christ Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom. He is our wisdom. And all the wisdom principles that we find in Scripture, and that we’ll explore as we continue in this series and continue in our reading in general—when those principles of wisdom are revealed to us, we will try, and we should try, to live up to them. But we know—and I don’t say this to discourage you; it’s just the truth, and it’s okay—we know that we never actually will fully live up to them. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but we never actually will. And that’s okay, because Christ has, on our behalf.

Our pursuit of wisdom is the pursuit of Christ. We don’t need to increase our wisdom in order to be accepted by God. Amen. Instead, we are accepted by God through our acknowledgement of who Jesus is. Then we’re invited to step into a journey with Him—to pursue wisdom, which is really pursuing Christ. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

So as we reflect, this is what I want us to really know and really understand this morning: ultimately, wisdom isn’t a set of principles to follow, but a Person to follow. He lived the life that we couldn’t live. He died the death that we deserved. And now He calls us not just to be wiser, but to actually be made new. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Let’s just take some time to reflect on that. Scripture says that to the one who asks for wisdom, it will be given to them. It will be given. I believe that, because the Bible says it. But here’s the thing, Church, that I want to lovingly challenge you with: Scripture says those who seek wisdom, those who ask for wisdom, it will be granted to them—but it still won’t just fall out of the sky.

You don’t pray for wisdom before you go to bed and then wake up with all the wisdom of Solomon, suddenly the wisest person in the world. The pursuit of wisdom is itself a pursuit of diligence and discipline.

So I want to encourage us to be people who pursue wisdom in Christ, but to do so understanding and recognizing that the wisdom of Christ is given to us through Scripture. It’s pointless to pray for wisdom and never pick up the Bible. That’s a pointless prayer.

So yes, pursue wisdom—but also be diligent and disciplined in that pursuit. And understand that this is, at its core, a pursuit of Christ.

Prayer for Wisdom from God’s Word

Shall we pray?

Lord, we thank you. We thank you as we open your Word today, first and foremost, for who you are: that you are our salvation, that you are the one who took upon yourself our sin and our shame on the cross, and that through that we get to enjoy eternal life with you.

And we thank you that you go even further than that—further than just saving us from the consequences of our own decisions and actions. You give us wisdom through your Word: yes, in the wisdom literature, but also throughout the whole of Scripture.

So Lord, I pray for us—for me personally and for my friends here this morning—that Holy Spirit, you would prompt us as we go from this place into our week. For those of us who struggle to read the Scriptures, for those of us who struggle to find time between Sunday and Sunday to open the Bible, Holy Spirit, I pray that you will prompt us in those moments not only to open your Word, but not to read it like an academic, just to pursue knowledge. Instead, help us to pursue an understanding of who you are, and who we are in relation to you.

Let your Word inform our worship of you and inspire our proclamation of you.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Amen.